The Free Will
by Selenite
Summary: "Your fault isn't being a robot. It's being so human." -Set immediately after Robots of Dawn. Elijah travels back home and Daneel keeps him company. They are finally free to enjoy each other's presence without having to worry about the things to come. But the closer they get to their destination, the less they are willing to say good-bye.


**Warning:** Contains Robots of Dawn and Bicentennial Man spoilers.

Oh, and I own nothing.

* * *

ooOOOoo

How much time had elapsed again?

A silly question. And unimportant one.

_Well, for now._ Elijah decided to postpone worrying about the time to another… Day? Night..? Waking period – that was perhaps the best term. Waking and sleeping periods, that was how he could divide and count the time during the space travel. And even though he decided not to worry about time, the thought was already there, fixed firmly, covering his thoughts momentarily like a giant moth with black wings. He sighed.

"Partner Elijah?" the disembodied voice beside him asked all of a sudden, stopping the previous speech in the process.

"Huh?" The voice of the addressed one, also feeling quite bodiless, replied.

"I have been speaking for nearly an hour now. It is natural your attention drops. If you wish me to stop, please, just say so." Daneel's tone was soft and caring, as always.

"No, I'm not getting bored, Daneel. Don't worry about that." Elijah corrected, allowing himself a little internal smile. This was just the way Daneel inclined to express himself. He would never imply something negative, even if that should be such a banality as pointing out his friend was getting bored. He would always use the milder alternative.

Once again and for the last time, Elijah inspected the vast dark space full of stars all around him, the Aurora's sun in the distance, it's lightly orange glow getting weaker each day of their travel, and then, using only the minimum pressure of his fingers, made the magnificent view disappear. The astrosimulator, a device that had showed them the space outside the ship, was deactivated, and the contours of the inside reappeared before their eyes.

Elijah sat up in his armchair, stretching his upper body, and blinked a few times to help his eyesight adjust to the environment of the room.

"Then what is it?" Daneel asked, doing no such thing as stretching simply because he had never needed it. He was standing motionless right beside Elijah and held out his hand to help the latter as soon as he made an attempt to stand up.

"Well, I merely realized we have been travelling for four days now and the time until we reach the Earth got shorter again." Elijah answered at last.

"It has been elapsing continually, Partner Elijah, and it does even as we speak."

"I know." Elijah claimed, perhaps a bit impatiently. "What I'm trying to say is… how best to spend this continually elapsing time? I mean, when are we going to meet again after the end of this journey? Are we at all? Very likely not. So…"

"Then wouldn't it be logical, Partner Elijah, not to waste the time of our travel on such troubling thoughts? Reaching our destination is inevitable. We cannot change it, so let us not worry about it."

"I wish I could, Daneel." Said the Earthman, squeezing the robot's forearm, and looked away.

ooOOOoo

After the dinner that only one of them had consumed – _Was it really dinner again?_ Elijah thought inadvertently – Daneel cleared the dishes from the table, as the day before. Elijah hated that, but there was no way helping it. And then, when his friend returned, silence fell, and Elijah hated that even more.

_Just do not worry about it_, he repeated to himself, and as he did, somehow, and surprisingly, the image of Giskard sprang up in his mind. For a moment, the fleeting idea that the other robot might be also aboard the ship clutched at him. But that was nonsense.

Trying to push the worrying thoughts away, he merely ended up caught in the current of associations, that must be it. He remembered that faint glow in Giskard's eyes. And he remembered that if there was truly something he needn't worry about, it was his ever letting out the shrewd robot's secret. He needn't worry about that because Giskard himself had put a little inhibition to Elijah's mind in this respect, so Elijah couldn't tell anyone, even if he wished to. However, what Elijah _could_ do was let his thoughts and associations flow. And so, in the end, and without any special intent, he heard himself say:

"Have you ever heard of the legends of Dr. Susan Calvin and a telepathic robot, Daneel?"

"I am aware they exist, but I'm not familiar with their exact content, Partner Elijah." Daneel answered, with his usual, calm and grave tone.

"And what about someone named Andrew Martin?" Elijah tried.

"He was a robot." Was a surprisingly unequivocal, strict reply.

Elijah became quite intrigued at the clearly defined unambiguity of the statement. "The legends as I heard them claim he was a man." He countered. "Bicentennial, yes, but then again, the Aurorans live even longer."

"I know this legend, Partner Elijah, and I may tell you about it, if you wish." Daneel switched to his usual, serious tone again. "But in any case, both legends you have just referred to were adapted as dramas, the one about Andrew Martin multiple times as it is rather popular on Aurora."

"Can we watch them here?" The Earthman asked, actually feeling like exploring another bit of Auroran art.

"I believe so, Partner Elijah. I'll be right back." Daneel replied and turned to the door.

And shortly, he was there again, as he promised. "I am sorry, Partner Elijah, I couldn't find anything about the telepathic robot, but quite a few other legends were there, including several adaptations and one documentary about Andrew Martin." Daneel announced upon entering the room again, and sat a box with the films on the table.

_Was it you, Giskard, making sure not even implications would be made?_ Elijah wondered. "That's all right, Daneel. Not your fault." He said aloud. "Shall we watch one of the Martin legends, then? You may at last leave the burden of educating me up to the simple machinery of the projector."

"I'd never consider speaking to you in an informative way a burden of any kind, Partner Elijah." Was the prompt answer, followed by a stare that could easily be interpreted as taken aback.

"No, of course you wouldn't. That was just a friendly poke, a half-hearted statement, and I didn't actually mean it." The Earthman reacted almost as promptly, with a tone of apology. "And I wish I'd never tire of your speaking, but I am a human, and human mind and attention need change and distraction, hence this change in program and hence, perhaps, the unfortunate remark of mine. I'm sorry, Daneel."

"There is no need to apologize." The robot answered calmly. "After all, being human cannot be considered your fault."

"As yours being… a robot." Said Elijah, his eyes momentarily wandering off his friend's face. _Who sometimes just cannot help a typical robot-like reasoning and arguments._ He added to himself.

"Indeed, Partner Elijah. Now then, is there any version of the legend you'd prefer to watch?"

"I fear I cannot judge that properly. Pick what you consider the best-" Here the Earthman stopped, the corner of his mouth curling upwards just a little, ready to test the robot nature of his friend. "…just no more lengthy documentary or education, please." He tried.

At that, Daneel simply started the task given him, but his eyes lingered on Elijah for a split second longer than was necessary. The look in them was rather unfathomable, but to Elijah it seemed that for a moment Daneel had been considering an answer, but then let the comment just slip. And yet, that specific little moment gave his eyes a strange feeling - a reflection of surprise and light disbelief and perhaps... Indeed, for a human, just one strict look full of disbelief and irritation, without any words, would be a proper reaction. What Daneel displayed was not quite the same, but not quite far away from that. So was it just him, or did Daneel understand the poke this time? It was hard to give an objective answer, but one was for sure – Daneel did know what the proper reaction was.

_No, your fault isn't being a robot. It's being so human._

ooOOOoo

Elijah felt his eyelids were getting too heavy. At least the film seemed to have entered its final part, but that might well last for another hour or two. Apparently there was a correlation between the prolonged life-span of Aurorans and the length of their films. Time wasn't a real measure. He refrained from sighing this time, and just as the thought occurred to him, he simply spoke.

"Daneel?"

"Hm?"

_No 'Partner Elijah'?_ The human wondered. "Have you seen this film before?"

"No, Partner Elijah. This is the first time I watch it."

"But you said you knew the story?"

"Yes. Dr. Sarton made references to it, and then I heard the most common version of the legend told by Dr. Fastolfe."

Elijah frowned slightly. "Then how could you choose this one as the best?"

"I merely read the reviews." Was the innocent, somewhat apologetic answer.

"I see…" The Earthman muttered.

"Do you like it, Partner Elijah?"

"The plot isn't bad." Elijah sighed lengthily. "It's just kind of too long for me, but I guess this is because I'm not an Auroran." He revealed, and then hesitated a moment before asking: "Do _you_ like it, Daneel?"

A rather long pause followed. Perhaps not too long in a human sense, but as it was Daneel who was meant to respond, the pause was long indeed.

"I-" the robot said at last, "I prefer to watch it."

"Why?" Was the immediate question.

"It is difficult to explain so that you could understand it." Was the rather unsatisfactory and perplexing answer, both very unusual of the robot.

Elijah disapproved strongly at first, but then thought twice about forcing a more specific answer out of his friend. He could do that, he knew, but he found himself done with viewing Daneel as a mere machine that was meant to follow his orders. "Would you…" He began slowly, carefully, and not really certain of how to continue. But then he suddenly reached out for the projector control to pause the film, and when he did so, the words simply came out, almost at their own accord. "Would you prefer to be a human, Daneel?" He asked.

"No." The robot answered quickly and resolutely. "No, I would not."

"Again, why?" Elijah asked even more mildly, quite in contrast with his inner surprise – and perhaps hurt – at the statement.

Again, Daneel took a second or two before answering. "Human thought process and behavior have very little constraint compared to a robot's," he started with something in his tone that Elijah identified as thoughtfulness. "There are too many possible ways for humans to react to an impulse," the robot went on. "Furthermore, the reactions can be driven by insufficient information, strong emotions and lack of judgment, and thus qualify as illogical. And even if you see your next reaction as illogical and wrong, you are still allowed to choose to do just that."

Elijah listened with patience and fascination, and when Daneel was done explaining, the Earthman brought a thumb to his chin and patted it, deep in thought. "It's called the free will, Daneel." He said then. "It is the ability to make any possible decision and take action, even on insufficient data and even if it may appear wrong. I agree this may sound a bit illogical, but then again, can we say that your Three Laws are a fit tool for interpretation of your next move at all circumstances and thus solve every possible situation correctly? Haven't we experienced quite the opposite back on Aurora?"

"We surely have, Partner Elijah. The Three Laws can be quite strict when it comes to the interpretation of complex situations." Daneel admitted.

"Then wouldn't you prefer not being bound by them?" Elijah assumed.

"No, Partner Elijah, because then I would be prone to make a wrong decision and possibly take harmful actions." The robot countered.

The human bit his lip and considered the argument. No, he wasn't giving up. Not a chance. "But is there any universal guarantee that the action taken under the Three Laws will be always the correct one?"

"Under the Three Laws, the correct one would be the least harmful one." Daneel answered calmly.

Elijah had to guard himself hard not to groan nervously. Again this impossible battle with Daneel's desperate clinging to a robot's thinking and a robot's reasoning. "Yes, but can we generally assume that it works the other way? The least harmful action—or what seems to be so in the moment of the decision—may not be always the correct one. And again I am returning to our experience after the visit to Dr. Amadiro. You alone were incapable of making the right decision; of taking the proper action. It took all I and Giskard could manage at that moment to persuade you." _And Giskard can be very persuasive._

For a moment, Daneel remained silent and thoughtful, the process of evaluation of the possible answers almost palpable in the air. "Your reasoning seems right, Partner Elijah. And yet, there are other aspects of being a robot that make me wish to remain a robot."

"Like?"

"My physical strength and durability, my senses and my reflexes, the speed of action and thought, the absence of the need to rest and sleep – these, too, along with the Three Laws, make me an efficient protector of human safety. There were situations, Partner Elijah, when I could save you from harm just because I was a robot." Daneel said coolly, without a trace of pride or boasting one might expect to accompany such a statement.

Elijah couldn't help it there, and let out the long-suppressed sigh. "That I cannot deny, Daneel, my capable Partner."

And there seemed to be a little, faint smile on the robot's face as the Earthman merely turned his head and watched his companion in silence. And only after that, the film was resumed.

ooOOOoo

"Partner Elijah?" Daneel spoke gently.

"Huh?" The human growled.

"The film has just ended. You should relocate to bed."

At that, the detective's lips twitched. He chuckled, his eyes squinting wearily. "A marvelous phrase, Daneel." He said in a hoarse voice and lifted his head from the robot's shoulder. "For that matter, you could have insisted on my relocating to bed much earlier."

"You seemed very content, Partner Elijah. I did not want to disturb you." Daneel explained patiently.

"…And felt obligated to let me drool on your shoulder." Elijah deduced, yawning, and stretched his arms. "It seems I missed the finale, though." He continued quickly, to prevent his friend from trying to react on the drooling remark. "How was it? Did they claim him a human in the end?"

"They did." Daneel nodded gravely.

"Oh." The human rubbed his face, and then stared at his friend. "And what persuaded them?"

"Andrew deliberately introduced malfunctions to his brain, so he eventually ceased to function." The robot answered, and it almost felt as if a mild stress had been put on the last three words.

"Looks like he did not persuade you, though." Elijah concluded from that.

"No." Daneel confirmed his friend's assumption. "Any robot can and will cease to function, sooner or later, just as humans die. Moreover, if my brain underwent the same operation as that of Andrew, it would deteriorate and become inactive in a very similar manner." He said and paused for a moment. "Would that make me human?" He asked then.

"No." Elijah shrugged, intrigued where this was leading to.

"No, indeed." Daneel repeated. "And doesn't the same apply to Andrew? If we focus on his brain as the source of his personality – and put the various other replaceable body parts aside – that very brain had been made, _made_ in a robot factory. It was still a positronic, a robotic one. The World Congress declared Andrew human, however, he did not truly become one."

"True." Said Elijah then, yawned again and rubbed his eyes. And despite his weariness, he decided to give this a thought. In fact, he could feel the sleepiness subside as the conversation progressed. "Let's see," he spoke, paused for a moment to consider what he wished to express, and then continued. "It actually seemed to me that in truth, it was the declaration Andrew wanted; that he did it all just to earn the approval of humans. He knew he wasn't human, but on the other hand, he never quite felt as a robot, either." He stated, quite satisfied with the reasoning.

"He had two options then," the human went on, getting rather enthused about his ideas. "Either to sink to the level of other robots, or try as he might to rise to the human level." He explained, gesturing with his hands. "Assuming he possessed a certain amount of curiosity, and other human-like characteristics, it was only natural he chose the second option, however difficult that might have been. However, he realized very soon he would never fit in. His mind alone was perhaps human-like enough, but not his body. He realized his human friends could never truly accept him as their equal because of his robotic looks. And so all his life, he merely worked to change that, and he was successful enough in this task to reach the point where humans who spoke for all other humans accepted him as their equal; and if he actually became human or not, that wasn't really important."

Daneel seemed to consider it all carefully. "I think this is a good explanation, Partner Elijah." He concluded.

"Oh, thank you." The Earthman smiled with satisfaction, stood up and made his way across the room. Daneel followed a few steps behind. But then Elijah grimaced and rubbed his head. "However," he began when he reached his bed, "I think I still miss one point somehow." He said and sat down.

"What do you refer to, Partner Elijah?" Daneel asked with a mildly expressed curiosity, and reached out his hand to the sensor on the wall to dim the main lights.

"You seem to disapprove of Martin's becoming a human. What was then actually so preferable to you about the film?" The detective raised the somehow forgotten question again. "I cannot of course promise I'll understand your explanation, but I can promise I'll try."

"It is just that putting it to words isn't as preferable, Partner Elijah." There was something close to apprehension in Daneel's tone. "Nonetheless…" he went on anyway, "I might say that your thoughts on the true goal of Andrew's pursuit for becoming a human quite accurately describe why I prefer to have seen the film."

"Yes?" Bathing only in the light of the bedside lamp now, Elijah looked up eagerly, expecting a further explanation.

Daneel strode closer as he began to speak again, his voice much lower this time. "You see, Partner Elijah, I wouldn't want to be a human." He said softly, and at the distance of about one or two strides from Elijah, he stopped, got down to his knees and sat on his heels. It was something the Earthman hadn't expected at all, but understood it as an attempt to equal their height, so that Daneel, a robot, wouldn't have to look down on him, a human. "Yet, if I were merely declared one," Daneel went on in an even softer voice, his eyes focused on his hands in his lap, "or, more specifically, granted the human rights and freedom-" here his voice trailed off.

"Yes?" Elijah encouraged, and shifted to the edge of his bed, realizing suddenly how anxious this conversation made him.

"I could… I could choose to stay… stay on Earth." Daneel managed with a clear difficulty, lowering his head even more, which made him appear as though he were shrinking from something.

"Daneel..?"

"I could decide on my-" The robot almost whispered, and then seemed unable to continue.

"Daneel!" Getting down on his knees quickly, Elijah reached out and seized his friend by the upper arms. "Does the idea you are trying to explain interfere in a way with the Three Laws?"

Daneel looked his friend in the eyes, and Elijah found his expression… Unhappy? Painful? Could it be?

"Yes" The robot answered at last, and then continued in a normal voice as he said: "Dr. Fastolfe ordered me to return to Aurora after seeing you safely back to Earth."

"Then it is the Second Law." Elijah assumed. "The thoughts you just expressed verbally were very surprising, Daneel, and I couldn't bring myself to fight the urge to hear them; to force them out of you… But they were actually in conflict with Dr. Fastolfe's orders, and so you had a great difficulty in saying them." He reasoned, loosening his grip. "It must have been painful for you, right? I'm sorry, my friend, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, Partner Elijah. Obeying Dr. Fastolfe's orders has greater importance than any of my ideas or your orders to explain the meaning of these ideas, but I also felt that your curiosity about my ideas has a still greater importance than the short-term difficulties I would experience by answering your questions."

"I see." Elijah muttered and sat on his heels as well. "The Second Law still comes before the Third. But Daneel, your pain and struggle are not necessary at all." He said after a thoughtful moment. "What we discuss is a purely hypothetical situation. We both know it will never happen, and we do not have any intention to break the orders given you. We are just discussing what will never come to pass. Never." He said as resolutely as he could manage, and did his best not to show the twinge of pain at the statement. "And as we are aware of this fact, any discussion we may have in this respect cannot be considered a real violation of the orders given you. Speaking about a hypothetical action is not quite the same as trying to take it for real, is it?"

"No, it isn't, Partner Elijah. You are right." Daneel acknowledged, seeming very at ease now. But then his face assumed his usual grave expression. "And yet," he continued, "this can be applied only when the Second Law is being considered. Even hypothesizing about violating the First Law, though, would be close to impossible and very painful."

"Oh." Was all Elijah could say. "But…" he began again, leaning back and letting his arms rest in his lap, "if we engage in hypothesizing, what about Earth? I mean, the Earthpeople? Even if you decided to stay, and even if I supported your decision, they could still decide against us both and send you back. You see, there is a difference between Dr. Fastolfe not being able to hold you back if you wished to go and the Earthpeople deporting you if they didn't feel like accepting you." He elaborated the thought, and then paused to breathe. He was blathering. He wished to consider something he found much more interesting about the discussion. "And what... what do you imagine you would do on Earth, Daneel?"

"I would continue to be your partner, as I am now." Was the prompt, matter-of-course answer.

The human's eyebrows shot up. "My friend!" Elijah managed through the astonishment, and with a sudden smile and feeling of joy considered tackling and squeezing the breath out of his companion – if that was possible. "So… that is what you want? That is… " Continuing to smile, Elijah shook his head.

A little smile also had been on Daneel's lips, but then he noted softly. "You seem confused, Partner Elijah."

"Oh no. No, no. I just…" the Earthman shrugged, feeling delighted, but also quite helpless. "All this time I was wondering about our friendship – if it has the same meaning for you as it has for me… if your emotions are the same as mine, or even comparable to mine. Or better yet, if you had any such thing as emotions at all." Elijah took a deep breath, biting his lower lip, buying some more time to sort his thoughts, and then he resumed in a low, but distinct voice. "You see, Daneel, I have always tried to refrain from seeing a human in you. At least not more than your humaniform appearance allowed. But I have failed all this time, and I absolutely fail now. Because how am I supposed to view you as a mere thing when you have just revealed your dreams to me, dreams that are almost the same as mine?"

"Almost the same?" Daneel asked, his eyebrows rising up suddenly. "In which way do your dreams differ from mine?"

"I have also imagined you would stay on Earth, and that before I give up my job at the Department, we would be assigned to solve the remaining cases together. And then, of course, you would assist us in the preparations for the settlement, and perhaps in the settlement itself… My imagination just never reached the point where you'd be declared a human. I fear I merely – and quite selfishly – dreamed of Dr. Fastolfe loaning you to me, simply as… perhaps as a sign of gratitude." Elijah revealed, and felt suddenly contradicting his previous statement about viewing Daneel as a human being. An intense feeling of shame followed right away.

"But this idea seems much more plausible, Partner Elijah." Daneel's soft reply felt like a soothing caress.

"Does it?" Elijah looked up and smiled. "Well, quite frankly, I expect a notification of this kind from Dr. Fastolfe to arrive every day of our journey."

"Do you think Dr. Fastolfe might indeed make such a decision?" Again the surprised expression showed on the robot's face. Elijah was inclined to interpret it as eagerness.

"Well, he is grateful enough to me, that is for sure. And he owes me much, that is also for sure. He also is aware of the strong friendship between you and I, and surely can imagine how much I – or you – would appreciate such a decision. However…" here the detective raised his hand to scratch his head and winced momentarily.

"Yes, Partner Elijah?"

"I'm just considering the public reaction on Earth." The addressed replied after a moment. "Sure, what I have achieved by solving this case will earn me many possibilities and influence in certain matters, and I'm quite sure we could come to an agreement concerning your presence on Earth and your work as my investigation partner or assistant in whatever future tasks may await me. I think you even have a certain amount of popularity on Earth on your own, thanks to our previous case on Solaria – and the subsequent hyperwave drama – so it wouldn't require much effort from me to convince the officials to give you permission to stay. The other problem would be your safety, though, even if you were officially allowed to stay and work."

"That would be an important matter, Partner Elijah." Daneel agreed solemnly. "Dr. Fastolfe was very concerned about my safety at the time he sent me to your City to help solve our first case. I was given very careful orders and instructions to make everyone believe I was a human to ensure my own safety."

"Precisely, Daneel." Elijah brought a forefinger to his chin and nodded gravely. "But now this advantage no longer exists." He said then. "You are officially known on Earth now. Convincing people about your being a human is no longer an option. And even if I was able to talk the officials into granting you certain rights, so your safety could be assured not just from the point of you being officially my property, but also from the point of you as a person – or something close to it – the Earth would be still not Aurora when it comes to a robot's welfare."

"So you say, Partner Elijah, that Dr. Fastolfe might be willing to let me stay with you, but the concern about my safety might not allow him to make this decision?"

"You're right, Daneel." The human replied, and then quickly added: "But then again, let's not forget that Dr. Fastolfe is a human, and as such, he has the gift of a free will. He may still make the decision, even if it hurts him, and even if he sees it as unsafe. Now," here a small smile played on Elijah's lips again, "do you wish to make any comment here, my friend?"

"I do, Partner Elijah." The robot nodded. "I'd say that I did never actually doubt the advantages of the free will. I merely claimed it a yet-very unpredictable and indescribable phenomenon I wouldn't wish bestowed upon myself."

"Fair enough, my friend." Elijah agreed in the end. "And in a sense, there's nothing to be sorry for. The freedom to choose is one thing, and living with the consequences is the other." He sighed knowingly. "But let's consider this-," he said then, more vigorously. "The possibility of Dr. Fastolfe deciding that you may stay with me is there. And it isn't quite too small, I think. So what about keeping up our hypothesizing?"

"In what sense, Partner Elijah?"

"Well, if there's a chance you are going to remain my partner, what about discussing the jobs awaiting us?" the human suggested. "Before I knew I was going to Aurora on an urgent matter, I had been assigned to solve several cases, which I may still need to do something about before my official promotion. And even after that. I think it would be useful to start discussing them with you."

"I am open to any such discussion even if the possibility of me staying with you was none, Partner Elijah. If you see this as a suitable activity to engage in during the remainder of the journey, I'll be happy to cooperate. Now, however, I must remind you of my previous suggestion that you should relocate to bed." Daneel concluded with a gentle smile.

"I guess I'm helpless against this." Elijah replied, smiling as well, and then groaned at his stiff joints as he heaved himself up to the bed again.

ooOOOoo

Back on Earth, the reporting and proceedings felt never-ending, chaotic and tiring. Elijah knew the tediousness of these procedures well, but what he hated about it the most was how he was forced to neglect Daneel most of the time. It felt to him as if Daneel wasn't really needed for all of this, and well, somewhere at the back of his mind he had to admit that it actually was the fact. If it weren't for the wish of the Spacers (and Elijah, too, of course) Daneel would have been surely excluded from most of the talks and sent immediately back to the spaceport and away from the planet.

It was a kind of awakening from the dream Elijah and his robot friend had shared on board the spaceship, and the expressions on the faces of most of the officials to whom Elijah talked about the possibility of Daneel staying on Earth weren't too helpful, either. The response wasn't thoroughly negative, though, and in the end, Elijah once again felt his dreams maybe hadn't been ruined yet.

It all now depended on how this matter would be viewed on Aurora, and especially by Dr. Fastolfe, Daneel's designer and owner.

Once again the image of Giskard's red, faintly glowing eyes emerged before Elijah. Of course, if Giskard knew about this – and was in favor – he could sway the opinions the right way.

_Well, he will know._ Elijah thought then. _He will be most likely present when Daneel asks Fastolfe about the matter. And even if not, the robots do communicate with each other. Daneel will tell him anyway. So the question is now, what Giskard will think about it all?_ Elijah asked himself, and suddenly felt the immensity of Giskard's true power. And for a moment, he couldn't decide if he liked it or not. But then, somehow, he became aware of the fact that all Giskard cared for was the well-being and prosperity of the humans. Or better yet, of the humanity as a whole. And so whatever Giskard's decision would be, he should respect it.

With these thoughts, Elijah watched Daneel retreat to the spaceship after they had said their good-byes. Lavinia Demachek stood by his side, observing the robot with comparable intensity.

"Believe me or not, Baley, but I consider him quite amazing." She said.

"I believe you." Elijah answered tonelessly.

"I'm not even trying to guess his value." Demachek continued, and when no answer came, she turned her head slightly to look at her companion. "I seem to recall a scene like this from somewhere… The hyperwave drama didn't quite exaggerate in every aspect, am I right?" She asked, and when Elijah remained silent – and perhaps offended in addition – even after that, she added more softly: "You seem you'll miss the robot."

And then, just before he could enter the ship, the robot, Daneel Olivaw, stopped and turned around.

"What is he doing?" Demachek breathed as she and Elijah watched Daneel stand in the distance and look back at them. Finally, any verbal answer to the question wasn't needed anymore, as the robot raised one hand in a final sign of farewell.

And Elijah spoke at last, finding it difficult to push the sound of his voice through an unexpected restraint in his throat. "Not a robot." He said and raised his hand in response. "Daneel."


End file.
